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Dwyane Wade resting up, getting ready for title run

Dwyane Wade bristles at injury questions. "If I'm not crying about, if I'm not out there saying 'Woe is me,' then I don't feel it needs to be discussed," said Wade, who was bothered by a knee injury most of

This is what he's facing now: the minute Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade has a bad game or couple in a row or misses a few games, the questions aren't asked in a whisper. They are blared. Loud enough for him to hear.

Has Wade, 31, lost a step? Is his game on the decline? Is he no longer the player he used to be? Did age finally win?

"When you're doing it front of the public eye and people are taking shots at you and you're not feeling well, it frustrates you," he said. "If I'm not crying about, if I'm not out there saying 'Woe is me,' then I don't feel it needs to be discussed."

His good friend and teammate LeBron James nods in agreement. He hears the comments and sees Wade's frustration.

"It was pissing him off more than anything while he was getting jabbed by everybody saying he's not the same," James told USA TODAY Sports.

Wade has missed the past five games with a sore knee and ankle. Last season, Wade struggled through the playoffs with a sore left knee that required offseason surgery. Giving him time to heal has been an easy decision for Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. James, Chris Bosh and Mario Chalmers have also missed some time recently with injury, they have also had recent rest.

Blame the streak. Or, praise it. By winning 27 consecutive games, the second-longest winning streak in NBA history, the Heat pushed themselves more than maybe they should have. But, because of the streak, the Heat have an uncatchable lead in the Eastern Conference, and Wade and his teammates are able to take some time off to heal from the nicks of a long season. The idea is for everybody to be healthy and rested as they begin defense of their NBA title with the start of the playoffs in a little more than week.

Wade detests the outside skepticism of his game, like when former NBA player and TNT analyst Charles Barkley suggested in December that Wade had lost a step — leading James to say Barkley needs to shut up. Yet Wade acknowledged self-doubt, even as recently as earlier this season. He was bothered by a knee injury most of last season, including the playoffs, and is now dealing with minor knee and ankle issues. Following July surgery on his left knee, he wondered if he could still do the things on the court he had always done.

Maybe tomorrow would never again be as good as yesterday.

"Night time, sitting by myself, I had a couple of moments," Wade said. "The quickest thing to do is shake it off and get it out of your mind. But doubt creeps in. It always creeps in. I've had it creep in many times after different surgeries. When I came back from my shoulder surgery, I didn't know if I would ever be the same. Doubt creeps in. You just have to get it out fast."

Wade has answered the questions about his health by responding with impressive numbers. Since January, he has averaged 22 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.3 steals and shot 52.7% from the field. While James put together his amazing run of 30-point games and 60% shooting during the streak, Wade had an underappreciated 13-game stretch: 25.2 points, six assists 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game and 58.7% from the field.

"Whenever you have setback, because that's what I had, it's going to take time to get back to where you were and then you want to be better than what you were," Wade said.

He is on pace to average at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists for the fourth time in his career. His is just one of four players — James, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook and Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant are the others — averaging at least those numbers this season.

If not for another one of James' better-than-everyone-else's seasons, Wade would be in the MVP discussion. Not the favorite, but in the discussion along with Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul, Houston Rockets guard James Harden, San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker, Bryant and Westbrook.

"I don't have an ego in terms of what people say about me now or my role on this team because I know I'm a hell of a player," Wade told USA TODAY Sports. "I know I can be a top five player and lead the league in scoring if I didn't decide to take a lesser role. That doesn't' take away from what I've done in this game and what I'll continue to do in this game and what I can still do."

Wade scored 29 points in Miami's season-opening victory against the Boston Celtics, but he still wasn't 100% healthy or comfortable.

"On the court earlier on, I wasn't able to finish the way I wanted to and wasn't able to explode the way I wanted to and that was frustrating to me," he said. "Early in the season, I had moments where I was like 'I feel good.' Then I had moments when I didn't, and I knew it was going to be a process. Around January is when I started feeling really good and it was consistent. That's what you look for – consistency."

Changing his game

Dwyane Wade has missed some recent games with knee and ankle soreness.(Photo: Mike Ehrmann Getty Images)

With Wade on the court this season, the Heat average 112.2 points per 100 possessions, the highest offensive efficiency rating during Wade's 10 seasons.

Certainly, James, forward Chris Bosh and the rest of the Heat help that offensive efficiency, but the evolution of Wade's game has played a significant part in that. Wade utilizes his post-up skills, fastbreak acumen and mid-range game and has more room to exploit defenses with other All-Stars on the court.

"He re-invented himself," James said.

Wade is shooting a career-best 52.1% from the field as his three-point attempts continue to decrease.

"I'm not shooting 50% because I'm launching shots," he said. "I understand which shots are my shots and I'm not shooting shots that aren't mine."

In reality, Wade hasn't lost a step. His game isn't in decline. Age hasn't won yet but he is no longer the player he used to be.

Smarter. More efficient. Maybe even better. Definitely different.

This season, 60% of Wade's shots are in the paint and 70.8% are within 16 feet. Compare that to 2008-09, the year he won the scoring title: just 40% of his shots were inside and 51% of his shots were within 16 feet.

"When I had the team, I was the top player and I had to shoot shots I wasn't comfortable with," Wade said. "I made some. I missed a lot. Now, I'm able to shoot the shots that I work on and I'm comfortable with and those are high-percentage shots for me and my team."

Wade sat down with Heat assistant coach Dave Fizdale and watched video of Miami games. Where could Wade be successful? Wade said he drew from his 2008 Beijing Olympic experience, when he didn't dominate the basketball like he did with Miami.

Wade also turned into a player who cuts and moves without the ball. No one is going to confuse him with Ray Allen running baseline curls off of multiple screens, but it is evident in the amount of basket he scores on assists from James.

"The evolution of his game has been stark, in terms of added weapons and dimensions over the year," Spoelstra told USA TODAY Sports. "His development in that post-up game has allowed that to happen. His movement and cutting off the ball tripled what it used to be. That took an understanding and an IQ of how to get involved when the ball wasn't in his hands."

Wade's ego-less approach took shape after the 2008-09 season. He won the scoring title that season, averaging 30.2 points. However, the Heat lost a seven-game series to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round.

"I thought about what I wanted out of my NBA career," he said. "I was coming off a scoring title. Everyone was 'Dwyane won a scoring title.' And that was it. There was no celebration. No one talked about it. The playoffs were going on and everyone forgot about it."

Just a footnote. Wade craved more.

"I like winning," he said. "I wanted to put myself in a position to win and to win big. I've always wanted to championships and compete for championships."